[creativ101]

Not overly keen on the oem output myself which is why I'm considering the osram 5000k. Hopefully they will be brighter.

[joeyt]

I agree. Oem is too normal. Side to side to a 5k they are miles different. And like i mentioned before. Haligens do just fine. The difference between a 4300k and a 6000k still means a 6000k bulb will have three times that of a halogen. If that was such a bad thing cars without xenons would be outlawed.

[mistryn]

anyone have any reccomendation where to get the 5000k osram xenonarc ones from?
Ive seen a couple of ebay but bit cautiousof them being the real deal

[joeyt]

I would go wild over osram anything. Save some money and buy some good quality 5000k bulbs of any good manufacturer. Philips, silvania etc etc.

[creativ101]

Originally Posted by mistryn

anyone have any reccomendation where to get the 5000k osram xenonarc ones from?
Ive seen a couple of ebay but bit cautiousof them being the real deal

That's often the problem with eBay. A lot of cheating b&£&(£ds on there which makes it hard to differentiate between the genuine sellers. I saw some on eBay and was about to order then read the sellers feedback. Luckily I didn't order.

Then I found a seller selling the 5000k cbi for £100 for a pair. I've yet to fit them so will let you know. They certainly look genuine and the sellers feedback was very positive. Hopefully their ok. Will let you know.

[mistryn]

Originally Posted by creativ101

That's often the problem with eBay. A lot of cheating b&£&(£ds on there which makes it hard to differentiate between the genuine sellers. I saw some on eBay and was about to order then read the sellers feedback. Luckily I didn't order.

Then I found a seller selling the 5000k cbi for £100 for a pair. I've yet to fit them so will let you know. They certainly look genuine and the sellers feedback was very positive. Hopefully their ok. Will let you know.

That would be great thanks could you pm me the ebay seller details?

[creativ101]

So installed the 5000k yesterday. Initial thoughts (in comparison to previous oem)
Wider light output across the road
Not very bright - is this because they are new?
Noticeable blue tint when looking at the headlight but not on the road.

[Jase 320d]

What make did you buy?

Hopefully you bought good quality?

Siemens / osram or similar.
If you bought ebay bulbs that'll be why they are not very bright

[Alex.J]

Originally Posted by Jase 320d

What make did you buy?

Hopefully you bought good quality?

Siemens / osram or similar.
If you bought ebay bulbs that'll be why they are not very bright

Totally agree with you!

Hence my original post about osram!

[creativ101]

They are osram 5000k cbi. But I did read somewhere that xenons take a few hours of use to brighten up. ????

[joeyt]

This is sort of off topic. I just thought id share this.

people are talking of cheap ebay bulbs.
I worked at a company that sold automotive lighting. Let me tell you now that our shipments of brand name bulbd and "cheap" non brand name bulbs all turned uo from the same factory. Allot of our xenon replacement bulbs were also the same. Direct from the same companies factory but 4 times the cost.

Just a heads up.

[Jase 320d]

I could quite believe that

I sometimes work at McVities Biscuits
All that differs between the McVities Digestives and the ones that they sell to Aldi is the packaging. Come from the exact same line

[zltm089]

Sorry a bit off topic guys, but are there any issues with using "after market" bulbs like Philips BlueVision Ultra H7 Headlight Bulbs (Twin Pack) or the Osram ones?

Are there any electronic or error codes?

I hope that it doesn't affect bmw warranty either?

Which brand is the most reliable and offer good brightness? I wouldn't might chaning the oem yellow lights to something white and bright!

[joeyt]

Philips diamond vision are very good. I dont rate osram but thats only because I know where they vome from. But thats another story.

[N8N]

Based on some reading over at CPF, the current recommendation seems to be Philips Xtreme Vision which actually is 4800K. They seem to actually be more readily available in the UK than the US, so that's good for you...

Osram has apparently come out with a "high performance" burner as well, Xenarc Night Breaker Unlimited. I don't think any of the light geeks have tested it yet but it specs about the same as the Philips Xtreme Vision but is 4350K so a little more OEM looking.

Fun fact: if you think you may be changing out your HIDs a lot, playing with color temp or whatever, you can use a D2S in place of a D1S with a separate igniter - they're pretty much the same thing, just D1S has an integral igniter and D2S does not.

http://www.theretrofitsource.com/clo...l#.Uwt3n_ldUZk

or

http://www.hidbulbsrus.com/products/xe-spark/

[Kerr]

I had to change mine last year. It's not a 5 minute job by the way.

I needed them in a hurry and didn't have much option. ECP were £120+ for each Phillips bulb.

Took my chances on Halford's own brand bulbs which were £55 each plus I got an extra discount.

Turns out Halford's DS1 bulbs were GE branded bulbs and they are pretty good.

[creativ101]

I had a garage change mine. It took him 20 mins to do both sides. He did it from the top / bonnet.

[Kerr]

Originally Posted by creativ101

I had a garage change mine. It took him 20 mins to do both sides. He did it from the top / bonnet.

The E90 must be different from the E92 then.

With the E92 you need to come from behind. That means jacking up the car, better to take the wheel off but can just do it without, remove in inner wheel lining before you can get to the light unit.

[creativ101]

That's what I thought for the e90. I told the mechanic he needs to go through the bottom he's response was "don't worry, I've done this plenty times before". I couldn't help but turn away and burst out laughing.

[joeyt]

The e92 is actually.much faster and less fiddly to remove the bumper and headlampd.

[richk84]

Where is the best place to get Osram CBI Xenarc 4300k bulbs?